Beer News 3 June

Look out for a bunch of beer events in the days before Auckland’s GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest. SOBA’s Auckland Branch is running Auckland Beer Week, starting in 16 June and running until the morning after GABS, 19 June. Events at Auckland craft beer venues, plus deals and free transport for SOBA members. Details here, GABS details here, SOBA membership available here.

Good George lights up Wellington

What brewer doesn’t want to get noticed in the Craft Beer Capital?* Good George gained media attention, got noticed alright, and pissed off Hutt commuters yesterday when a truck carrying its beer kegs caught fire on a major road in Petone, Lower Hutt. The hoppy inferno included peanut butter, cigarette lighters and beer kegs – kaboom! The truck caught fire on Waione St in the early morning and kept the road blocked through the morning rush hour. Good George said the fire destroyed half of its limited release of Coffee IPA, which already included coffee beans roasted by Rocket Coffee. *Rhetorical question

Husk hustles

New Wellington brewpub Husk is now a busy building site. Co-owner/brewer Kerry Gray says the last compliance hurdles have been hurdled and the café/coffee roaster/brewpub should be open in August on Wellington’s Ghuznee St. While its PledgeMe campaign to fund extra fermenters sank without a trace, the project is definitely going ahead, with the most important bit – the 850L brewhouse – scheduled to arrive from the USA in spring.

Garage Project sells out

Garage Project’s unbridled success has led to it expanding to new premises outside Aro Valley. In what must have been the worst kept secret in Wellington craft beer, GP announced it is opening a new site dedicated to fermenting and aging with wild yeasts. Brewer Pete Gillespie says staff working at the site will be quarantined from the Aro St brewery, to prevent any cross-contamination. The overflow site is on Marion St, Te Aro, handily close to the Theosophical Society Reading Room.